Ionizer or apparatus for producing gaseous ions.



L. I. BLAKE.

IONIZER on APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING GASEOUS IONS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1908.

91 3,941 Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

Fume (fur/enf- Fame.

flzmcs or Smoie' UNITED STATES PATENT orr on.

LUOIEN I. BLAKE, or DENVER, COLORADO.

, ICINIZER OR APPARATUS FOR PRODUCII QG GASEOUS ION S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

T 0 all whom it may concern: 7

Be, it known that I, LUCIEN I. BLAKE, a

citizen of the United States, residin at.

Denver, inthe county of Denver and tate of Colorado, have discovered a new and useful Improvement in Ionizers or Ap aratus for Producing Gaseous Ions, of wluc the followin is a specification, reference being had to t e drawing accompanying and forming a part of the same.

The production ofgaseous ions, haslong been known by physicists, to accompany the processes of combustion in flames, and electrical, discharges from points, but inboth cases the ions are produced in relatively limited quantities and under such conditions as to render them to a greater or less extent inaccessible, and not satisfactorily available for commercial use or ap lication.

In another application, erial No. 433,382, filed May 16, 1908, I have described an improved rocess of rendering available by electrica means, the ions produced by com- .bustion, but the apparatus upon which the present application is based constitutes an imfplrovement upon my former invention and a rther advance in the art, in that by its use I am enabled to produce these ions in almost unlimited abundance and under conditions which render them continuously accessible while they are still in the peculiarly active state which they exhibit at the in stant of their generation, and before they can recombine to form neutral atoms, or attach themselves to neutral atoms or molecules to form molions. This transition stage, incident to generation, is, as is well known, themost effective for the practical utilization of the ion, but heretofore it has been difficult to take advantage of this fact, both because of the methods of generation resorted to, and the limited number produced thereby.

My present discovery dispenses entirely with flames and discharge oints, and affords a more ready means 0 producing the ions in a way that renders them completely accessible and available while in their active electric state. The nature and scope of the discovery will be understood from the following considerations and general description.

It is well known that in electric condenserslarge quantities of static electricity are accumulated upon their plates, and

many experiments.

powerful fields or regions of stress are set up within their dielectrics. If the condenser be of the aseous type, that is to say composed of p ates separated by strata of air or gas, this air is subjected to powerful electric.

stresses, and from the nature of the device the volume of air under stress may be lar e. If the potential of thecharging force e sufficiently high, disruptive discharges in the form of isolated sparks will take place between the condenser plates, but the attendant ionization of the air will be practically negligible in extent, as it is limited to the duration and path of the spark discharge. The plates may be so far separated that no discharge, in the form of sparks, brush or glow takes place between them, in which case no appreciable ionization of the gaseous dielectric occurs.

I have discovered that if, between the plates of a condenser of this kind, when sep arated even far beyond the limits ofdisruptive discharge, a. solid dielectric in a fragmentary or filar form be interposed,

intense and general ionization of the entire volume of intermediate gas takes place without disruptive discharge. For example, if between the glass or other insulating plates, separating or supporting the conducting elements of an air condenser, a material such as glass wool be loosely packed, the whole space between the lates glows, even in broad daylight, with a l rilliant blue light, no disruptive discharge occurs at any point or at any time, and the-entire volume of gas between the plates becomes a generator of ions.

A mass of fragmentary or filar conductors or metallic points between the glass plates will result in the production of disruptive discharges and will not effect this ionization, or if the condenserplates be entirely of metal, and a fra mentary or filar dielectric, such as glass woo be interposed between them, no ionization will occur, because disruptive discharges will ass between the metal plates. On the other and, solid dielectrics, wholly or or partly composed of fragments, grains or threads become prolific ionizers in a powerful electric field. This I have confirmed by Efforts and experiments made with a view toturning this henomenon to practical account have le to further important and useful discoveries. For example, I have found that the gas or air ,the same upon proximate surfaces.

must be continually renewed, so rapid and intense is the production ofions, and that the latter may be continually blown out for use outside the condenser plates. This discovery I have utilized by discharging or feeding the gas, ionized by the above described means, into vapors or suspended particles to cause the rapid aggregation and deposition of I have further discovered that if a vapor or a parti cle laden gas be made to flow through the interstices of the solid ,dielectric and between the condenser'plates, the ions will cause the vapors or partlcles to be rapidly deposited upon the dielectric surfaces, and, 1n fact, upon all other neighboring surfaces with which the vapors or particles maycome 1n contact. y

Experimental investigations of th e phe nomenonof ionization by means of an intersticial dielectric, have led to the further (118- covery that it is not necessary that the fragments or threads of the dielectric should be contiguous or fill, even loosely, the whole space between the condenser plates. If the surface of each plate is covered with or composed of a layer of fragments or filaments of a solid dielectric, such as quartz or glass, the whole gaseous space between theplates becomes uniformly and filled with mtense blue light, apparent even in broad day li ht.

The above descri ed means, so far as may be done without going into mere self suggesttures or conducting terminals D, E, attached to lates A, B. Between the plates A and B is t e solid dielectric F, in a fragmentary or filar form, such, for example, as glass wool. In Fig. 2, the same arrangement of plates is shown, but in this case the fragmentary dielectric, such as finely divided uartz, fragments or filaments of glass or the ike is merely attached to the surface of plates A and B, being caused to adhere thereto by any suitable cement, or by mechanical means. 1

In Fig.3 a multi-cellular ionizer is shown. This comprises plates A and B, with their attachments as shown in the other figures, with a plurality of intermediate plates G, H, each composed of glass or similar plates inclosing con ucting plates D by which they are charged. Between the oppositely charged plates is placed the fragmentary or filar dieand continually ionized,-

surfaces of t e plates.

' From the nature of the case it is manifest that In lieu of mterposing the solid-dielectric in a fragmentary 'or filar condition between v the plates, in the way directed, the same resultswill be secured by using dielectric plates the surfaces of which are themselves of the same general character as the applied layers or coatings. This may. be accomplished by such treatment of the surfaces as will impart to them the necessary roughened or fragmentary character. Such. a plate is shown in Fig. 4, K indicating the roughened surface. This improved lonizer lends itself readilysto many useful applications in the arts. it may be constructed so that practically the whole space between the plates offers no obstruction to the passage of gas, smoke or fumes, the latter may be caused to pass through it with unimpeded velocity while being subjected to its ionizing action. This means of producing and maintaining an extensive and uniform ionizingthe principles of condensers, but also'of the large their p ates for ionization.

The device may be placed in any smokestack or flue through which pass fumes or uantities of gas available betweenvapors, and by a proper disposition of the plates afford a practically unobstructed passage for the flow of the whole volume of such fumes, which bein subjected to an intense ionizing action wil be continually deposited on the surfaces of the plates and other adjacent surfaces, and removed therefrom by an suitable means. I have found that this. ionizer may' be run continuously without over-heating or deterioration of the fra mentary dielectrlc, and with a very sma l' consumption of electric energy. The mate-- rials used and specific constructionadopted may be'greatl varied. I'have, for instance, employed w1t of alternating current of 48,000 volts, but complete ionization ma be effected by plates so closely placed t at the voltage between them may e as low as 10,000 volts.

Where necessary to use condenser plates capable of resisting high tem eratures, they very good results condenser plates four inches apart, charged by a sourcemay be made of such materia s as mica," and the character of the fragmentary dielectric will also depend upon like conditions of use;

I have employed particles or fragments of quartz or glass, and glass wool, and also a layer of sand for this purpose, and I have found that even silk or woolen cloth covermg the op sing faces of the condenser plates 4. An ionizer comprising in combination 15 wil fill t e space between the lates with a plurality of dielectric plates adapted to be ionizing blue light, while the 0 0th is not charged alternately to opposite potentials, heated sufiiciently to burn. v and a solid dielectric in fragmentary or filar 5 What'I claim is: form applied to the opposing surfaces of said 1. An ionizer composed essentially of a plates. a fragmentary or filar dielectric in an electric I 5. An ionizer consisting of dielectric field. plates adapted to be charged to opposite po- 2. An ionizer com osed essentially of glass tentials, separated by air spaces and having 10 wool in an electric fie d. fragmentary or filar o osing surfaces.

3. An ionizer comprising in combination L CIEN I. BLAKE. the plates of a gaseous condenser, and a solid Witnesses: dielectric in a fragmentary 0r filar form in- WILLIAM N. VAILE, terposed in the space between said plates. J. W. E. RIDGWAY. 

